That has to be the best individual game any player in the country has had this season. That's unbelievable. 41 points, 20 reobunds, and 9 assists? How does that even happen in a college game? Absolutely ridiculous.

I don't care who it is. Plenty of players have played terrible teams and failed to put up anything remotely close to 41/20/9. That's an unbelievable statline no matter who your opponent is. I've never seen anything like those numbers.

Back when he was at Dayton Dunbar, he was set to sign with Walsh University (NAIA). He calls the coaching staff up prior to his press announcement at the school and he requests 12 Walsh hoodies for all his teammates and 12 footlong steak subs from Subway.

Coaches hung up the phone, laughed to them themselves and headed to the campus store for the hoodies and then hit the road to Dayton, laughing about it the whole way. Of course, they didn't exactly have the last laugh with where Norris is now.

Playing here is the closest thing to heaven. Really, I mean it's amazing to be in a place where the fans truly cherish their football team and stick behind them win or lose. We players love them, too. I feel a sense of accomplishment playing here, we are a special breed of football players with a great opportunity." ~ tOSU LB Brian Rolle

Seriously man. YSU is bad, no doubt about that, but they also beat Butler and took Valpo to overtime. They have talent on that team and its all young.

Matt Howard from Butler didn't put up those stats, and I'm pretty sure he played a lot of minutes in a LOSS to YSU. Same for any player from Valpo in an OVERTIME game. Lots of minutes to be played there, didn't see any 41-20-9 games.

You're telling me YSU is the worst team in the last 15 years and Cole is the only person to play 40 minutes?

Griffin's accomplishment is more impressive because it was against Texas Tech (a 14-19, 3-13 Texas Tech team, but still better than YSU), but he's also 6-10 and Cole is 6-2 and added nine assists and three steals to the stat line.

e0y2e3 wrote:Fair, but I also could give two shits about Northeastern putting up numbers on YSU.

Like I said - D3 sports.

Look man, I'm obviously biased as a CSU alum and fan, and I know your shtick, so I won't get into it with you.

But you're overlooking how good of a player Norris Cole is. There have been NBA scouts at nearly every game this year, he excelled this summer as one of 10 college point guards invited to the Deron Williams skills academy, he's a finalist for the Bob Cousy award as the nation's top PG and he's projected as a possible draft pick in this year's draft.

The guy can play. He put up numbers that just don't get put up. I don't care the competition. Would they have been more impressive against Butler or Ohio State, obviously yes, but it's still impressive.

ESPN (along with every other person that follows college basketball besides you) was impressed.

More performances that wowed us: Scouts already knew how good Norris Cole was ... now all of college basketball knows.

Norris Cole, Cleveland State: We're not sure words can properly describe Cole's performance in Saturday's 86-76 win over Youngstown State, so we'll haul out two names you've surely heard of to put it in some perspective. When Cole totaled 41 points and 20 rebounds (from a 6-2 point guard!), he became just the second Division I player in the past 15 years to put up a 40-20. The other? Blake Griffin. The last player to do so in an NBA game? That would be a fella by the name of Shaquille O'Neal in 2003. Oh, and did we mention he also found time to dish out nine assists and swipe three steals? Or that he posted a double-double in each half? From a statistical standpoint, individual performances don't get a whole lot better than that.

Here's a list of the PG's that attended the Deron Williams skills academy and what ESPN wrote about him after the camp.

Norris Cole, PG, Cleveland State VikingsCole emerged from the Deron Williams Skills Academy sessions in Chicago with scouts raving about his high basketball IQ, steadiness on the floor and leadership ability. He isn't elite in any category, but a number of scouts walked away from the camp feeling he was as good a prospect as anyone there. He's been a little under our radar the past few years, but we'll give him a close look during his senior season. Consider him a potential second-round sleeper.

neoleo wrote:But you're overlooking how good of a player Norris Cole is. There have been NBA scouts at nearly every game this year, he excelled this summer as one of 10 college point guards invited to the Deron Williams skills academy, he's a finalist for the Bob Cousy award as the nation's top PG and he's projected as a possible draft pick in this year's draft.

What are the chances the Cavs draft him?

It kinda sucks that we don't get the Heat's picks until next year otherwise I'd say we'd for sure see him in a Cavs uni next year.

Guessing Eyeo thinks it's not a real college or university where real teaching or learning happens. It's a fill-in-the-bubble got-a-pulse-and-can-pay-here's-your-diploma mill. He might even suggest all the misguided building there of student centers and fitness palaces is a wasteful stimulus project financial black hole when there are already three huge residential universities under capacity within a 90 minute drive and a "residential campus" is more than a resting place for bums to crash all over the sidewalks.

But not being eyore, I don't know what he means.

I do know I don't care whoyar, 41 20 9 is silly even if you are playing the only worse university in the state than CSU.

The CSU game was the second half of my BB weekend. I was responsible for the CAVS victory Friday night and also was a key factor in Cole's game Saturday. We needed every one of those points and rebounds as the game was a little close for comfort. The final score doesn't reflect how close it was. We didn't secure the game until they decided to play inside as well as outside and feed Pogue down low. We will have a tough time in the NCAA tournament(assuming we make it) by settling for jump shots. It was a little freaky how closely Ward on YSU resembles J'Nathan Bullock.

Guessing Eyeo thinks it's not a real college or university where real teaching or learning happens. It's a fill-in-the-bubble got-a-pulse-and-can-pay-here's-your-diploma mill.

Dude you just described every college/university in the United States. By that definition CSU is no different than OSU or even Harvard.

Colleges/Universities are a business. But that's the way this country is set up. If you want a good shot at getting a decent job go to college. It's unfortunate but that's the way it is. And it's asinine to say that you don't learn anything in college.

He might even suggest all the misguided building there of student centers and fitness palaces is a wasteful stimulus project financial black hole when there are already three huge residential universities under capacity within a 90 minute drive and a "residential campus" is more than a resting place for bums to crash all over the sidewalks.

Why the fuck do people get so mad about this city TRYING to grow and become a better place? Honestly, it makes no sense to complain about YOUR city trying to not be such a shit hole. Maybe you'd rather have another parking lot or something instead of CSU.

I'm just speculating what eyeo might be thinking, but I can see you are defensive.

I personally like CSU. CSU is important for what it's mission should be: an accessible comprehensive commuter university for those who are placebound and really have no other options. It just cracks me up when people try to get above their raisin' and suggest those places are something they aren't. People down here actually say stupid things like YSU is just as good as any school in the country and believe it.

And yes, there is a difference between what happens in the classrooms of CSU and other colleges / universities besides Harvard. To suggest there isn't and higher ed is one big level quality playing field is just goofy.

Lastly, I can think of 498 better economic development ideas than spending hundreds of millions trying to remake a commuter university no one really wants to go to into a residential campus.

And 41 20 and 9 still rocks even if it were against the 6th grade girls CYO team at St Bernedettes.

jb wrote:Lastly, I can think of 498 better economic development ideas than spending hundreds of millions trying to remake a commuter university no one really wants to go to into a residential campus.

I wouldn't say no one really wants to go here. Coming from someone who moved up to the Cleveland area to go to CSU, it's location has it's benefits/opportunities. I'm hoping to get an internship with the Tribe while I go to school here.

I still don't see how you can knock on CSU trying to develop into a residential campus. Have you been in the new dorms? They're ridiculously nice. Nice enough that more students may actually want to live there and go to CSU. They might even end up staying in Cleveland to work upon graduation and hopefully start turning this dying city into something better.

I either need a closer look, or confirmation on this... but when a kid is at the FT line at the Convo Ctr., the camera angle from under the hoop shows the shooter in the foreground and that massive "CSU fans" poster in the background (on the side with the curtain).

Does anyone else see the guy doing the international sign for "smokin a dube" on the poster behind the shooter?

jb wrote:I'm just speculating what eyeo might be thinking, but I can see you are defensive.

I personally like CSU. CSU is important for what it's mission should be: an accessible comprehensive commuter university for those who are placebound and really have no other options. It just cracks me up when people try to get above their raisin' and suggest those places are something they aren't. People down here actually say stupid things like YSU is just as good as any school in the country and believe it.

And yes, there is a difference between what happens in the classrooms of CSU and other colleges / universities besides Harvard. To suggest there isn't and higher ed is one big level quality playing field is just goofy.

Lastly, I can think of 498 better economic development ideas than spending hundreds of millions trying to remake a commuter university no one really wants to go to into a residential campus.

And 41 20 and 9 still rocks even if it were against the 6th grade girls CYO team at St Bernedettes.

I know what you're saying JB and I'm not even mad, there's such a negative connotation attached to CSU that it will take generations to change. The CSU that people remember doesn't exist anymore, but perception is reality so it lives on. And when people have no reason to visit downtown, they'll never witness the new CSU.

It just bothers me when people have such a strong opinion on things when it's clear they really don't have all the information. You sound like the guy calling into KNR from his parent's basement wondering why the Indians didn't make a run for Carl Crawford this off season.

CSU is at a 20-year high in enrollment and the academic standards for the freshman class are at an all-time high, and above the national average.

First-year students entered CSU this year as the most academically competitive class in the University's history. This fall marked the first time that the average ACT score exceeded the national average of 21 and the mean high school grade point reached 3.12.

There are also a few nationally recognized programs, including the School of Communication, the Urbain Affairs program and the school of Law. The Cleveland-Marshall School of Law has ranked above Case's for the past couple years in bar passage rates.

CSU has also made the list of America's Top Colleges by US News and World Report.

And doing some quick research on the USN website, CSU has a very competitive 65% acceptance rate, lower than Kent (72%), Akron (76%), BG (89%) and Toledo (90%).

Now, I know a lot of factors go into those rates, but a 65% acceptance rate hardly makes it

an accessible comprehensive commuter university for those who are placebound and really have no other options.

CSU has done a great job of getting students like myself. I was top third of my high school class and a partial academic scholarship to a small private school in Ohio. Even with the scholarship and my need-based aid, I still wasn't able to cover the costs without taking on way too much student loan debt. So I chose to transfer to Cleveland and live in the city in order to graduate. I'm not naive, I know the value of a CSU degree, but I do take a little offense to you implying that I had no other academic choices because I graduated from CSU. And that was five years ago and the university has grown light years since then.

The University has completely transformed a formerly barren neighborhood in the heart of downtown. There are new shops, restaurants and a grocery store. They have even started a k-12 school on campus. The hope for the future is to fill the newly completed condos with professors and young professionals and have their kids attend the school. And you know all those teachers that graduate from CSU? They don't have to flee the city to find work. And they have a place to live too. And the kids that grow up in the heart of Cleveland? They can keep their talents right in the city by attending CSU when they graduate high school.

I just don't see how something positive finally happening in Cleveland can be viewed as bad.

And you're right, 41-20-9 is impressive. As I write this, some dude on ESPN is pleading with Cleveland fans to hold on because Sullinger and Cole are the future of Cavs basketball.

I don't want to hi-jack anymore, NEO. And I'm glad you've found a good college fit for you. Seriously. So last word is yours and I don't want to be a tool to you.

I've been in that area at east a half-dozen times this past year, I get up to E 4th & the Heights about once every 8 weeks or so, so I'm not exactly calling from the basement into Stuttering Greg at 12 am after another Tribe loss about this issue. Yes, the dorms and amenities are nice. God knows for what was spent they should be.

But to answer your question:

I just don't see how something positive finally happening in Cleveland can be viewed as bad.

First, I'm not sure how good it is for Cleveland long-term. CWRU has staying power and is right-sized. Some new buidlings at CSU to remake it into a residential campus? Huge Randall Park Mall potential AFAIC. And I'm far more concerned with the State of Ohio's budget than some outrageously expensive publically funded micro-development in a crappy area of C-town.

Again, you have BG, UA and KSU all within a 45 - 90 minute drive all within a populated area in decline of college going age all with room for more students and the State of Ohio is in something crazy like a 20% shortfall in budget. Kasich is going to take a sledgehammer to higher ed in Ohio becasue he has to. Becasue of the money spent in capitalization and the need to pay it off and maintain buildings , watch your tuition skyrocket in the next year or so.

So tell me again why northeast Ohio needed another 20,000 capacity residential university ? The smart move would have been to combine CSU & Tri-C into an economic development machine that loaded up on workforce development and invested in on-line course development and cost containment so there is an affordable option.

Again, nothing against CSU per se. Leadership sjhould have just focussed on being the very best CSU it could be instead of trying to become somethig the region and State didn't need. Just some really bad public policy at work on the state level. Better to have spend 10% of that on small business start grants, tax abatements, and security for downtown if you wanted micro economic development.

CSU has put me in a great position to get into medical school, and that's all I'm going to say. The science departments here are severely underrated.

I student teach, and Norris is a student of mine. It's human gross anatomy (cadavers) which is pretty intense. Really bright kid. If professional basketball doesn't work out for him he definitely has something to fall back on. He got a standing ovation today.

One good game on a team where no one on defense paid any attention to him.

He is going to be a role playing bag of meh.

I stand by that.

But hey, next time Jon Leuer goes off I'll go start a thread just to look cool.

Christ, if I started a thread everytime a nobody in the NBA has a great game (let alone has a great game hiding behind the big three) I'd fucking use half of the internet's bandwidth.

So he's gone from a "decent player" in college "playing shit competition" who will "soon maybe be a second round draft pick" to being a "role player" in the NBA (who was drafted in the first round btw).

Got it.

And I don't quite understand how you can stand by something that you never said.

I never said Norris would be an all-star (I didn't even start this thread). I was saying he was a very good college player that put up amazing numbers and who out-performed more highly rated players when they went head-to-head and he had a legit chance at being drafted.

You blasted his stats, the competition, his school and sarcastically cheered at his potential of being a 2nd round draft pick.

I think Pat Riley would agree that you were wrong. And its okay to admit.

Late first, early second, he was drafted late as hell in a terrible draft and is as MEH a pro prospect as you will find.

He sucked last night and you aren't here crowing about it.

He was a decent college player that had a decent game for a team where he can hide behind everyone else on the roster.

Stop, just fucking stop.

If you want to declare what he is in the NBA at least wait a fucking month. That one performance means absolutely nothing. You act as if he stole the starting gig from the eternally sucky Mario Chalmers and is destroying the league.

e0y2e3 wrote:Holy fucking christ, the guy is a rotation player that is meh to meh.

Late first, early second, he was drafted late as hell in a terrible draft and is as MEH a pro prospect as you will find.

He sucked last night and you aren't here crowing about it.

He was a decent college player that had a decent game for a team where he can hide behind everyone else on the roster.

Stop, just fucking stop.

If you want to declare what he is in the NBA at least wait a fucking month. That one performance means absolutely nothing. You act as if he stole the starting gig from the eternally sucky Mario Chalmers and is destroying the league.

Dude you guys see what Norris Cole did against the Celtics? Think the guy has a real NBA future. Not just as some bench scrub getting fed by the BIG THREE, but because he went to the same school I did and he is SOOPER COOL.

Quit hating on us identifyin' with our own you hate filled Bostonian.

ALLSTAR

BISMACK

"When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience leaves with money and the man with money leaves with experience."

David Thorpe (who I have issues with) right now has Cole as his top rated rookie in the class and just said on Hoopspeak Live, I do not expect him to end up anywhere on this list. Honestly, Cole is just really really lucky he gets to play with the two best wing players on earth and doesn't worry about anything but finishing off of them. He's not demonstrating or likely to demonstrate any other skills.